Marginal Locations Research Articles

Impact of refrigeration of different Resin composite restorative materials on the marginal adaptation in class II restorations

BackgroundThe pre-polymerization temperature of resin composite restorative materials could influence their adaptation to cavity details. As a current debate is existing about the refrigeration of resin composite restorative materials, this study was designed to assess the effect of refrigeration of 3 types of resin composite restorative materials with different matrix systems on their marginal adaptation in Class II restorations.MethodsForty-two sound maxillary molars, each with two separated Class II cavities, were used in this study. The teeth were assigned into 3 main groups (n = 14) according to the restorative /adhesive system used; an Ormocer-based composite (Admira Fusion/Futurabond M+, Voco GmbH, Cuxhaven, Germany), a methacrylate modified Ormocer-based (Ceram.X SphereTEC One/Prime&Bond Universal, Dentsply Sirona GmbH Konstanz, Germany), and a methacrylate-based (Tetric N-Ceram/Tetric N-Bond Universal, Ivoclar Vivadent AG, Schaan, Liechtenstein). Each group was then divided into 2 subgroups (n = 14) according to the gingival margin location; 1 mm above and 1 mm below the cemento-enamel junction (C.E.J). Each subgroup was further divided into 2 categories (n = 7) according to the storage temperature; stored at room temperature or stored in refrigerator at 4°- 5° C. Epoxy resin replicas were observed under scanning electron microscope (SEM) to examine the marginal gaps. A gab scoring system was used to assess the marginal adaptation of each restoration by giving scores on the basis of measurements of the maximum marginal gaps. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using the Chi-square test at a significance level of p < 0.05.ResultsNone of the tested groups exhibited 100% gap-free margins irrespective of margin location or storage temperature. For both storage temperatures, no statistically significant difference was observed among all tested groups either with margins located above or below C.E.J (p > 0.05). As well, there was no statistically significant difference when comparing both marginal locations for each material (p > 0.05). Regarding the effect of storage temperature, statistically significant difference was only observed between the room-temperature stored groups with margins located above C.E.J and their corresponding groups stored in refrigerator (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe refrigeration of resin composite restorative materials prior to the restorative procedures revealed a deleterious effect on marginal adaptation of the restorations with margins located in enamel regardless the type of material used.

Evidence that recent climatic changes have expanded the potential geographical range of the Mediterranean fruit fly

The species distributions migration poleward and into higher altitudes in a warming climate is especially concerning for economically important insect pest species, as their introduction can potentially occur in places previously considered unsuitable for year-round survival. We explore the expansion of the climatically suitable areas for a horticultural pest, the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) Ceratitis capitata (Diptera, Tephritidae), with an emphasis on Europe and California. We reviewed and refined a published CLIMEX model for C. capitata, taking into consideration new records in marginal locations, with a particular focus on Europe. To assess the model fit and to aid in interpreting the meaning of the new European distribution records, we used a time series climate dataset to explore the temporal patterns of climate suitability for C. capitata from 1970 to 2019. At selected bellwether sites in Europe, we found statistically significant trends in increasing climate suitability, as well as a substantial northward expansion in the modelled potential range. In California, we also found a significant trend of northward and altitudinal expansion of areas suitable for C. capitata establishment. These results provide further evidence of climate change impacts on species distributions and the need for innovative responses to increased invasion threats.

Liquid Geographies of Transatlantic Slavery: Caribbean Pathways of Forced Migration, 1580-1640

Slave transshipment and resale routes within the Spanish Caribbean were a fundamental part of the Atlantic slave trade. Enslaved Africans brought to the region during the late XVI and first half of the XVII century were forcibly made to traverse multiple circum-Caribbean points throughout their lives in a continuous process of de-racination, re-commodification, and forced mobility. Maritime regional slave routes linked seemingly marginal locations in the Caribbean like Cumaná, Margarita, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, or Trujillo with wider regional flows of peoples, capital, and commodities, as well as with the circulation in the larger Atlantic. Veracruz and Cartagena each served as an axis for these regional slave transshipment and resale routes, while Havana and Cartagena both functioned as re-shipment springboards for Veracruz.

Barriers to post-secondary education among marginalized young women from Israel’s periphery

Post-secondary education (PSE) promotes social mobility and improves the lives of marginalized groups. However, there are many barriers to acquiring PSE among marginalized young women. Based on semi-structured interviews in four focus groups of women aged 19–26 in Israel’s southern periphery, who utilized welfare services, this study examined the unique barriers to the acquisition of PSE among marginalized young women. Although participants expressed high academic ambitions, the various gender, personal, interpersonal, and structural barriers they face prevent them from achieving PSE. The findings indicated that it was the structural barriers that served as the main barriers, directly affecting the personal and interpersonal barriers. Additionally, the participants’ position as women, including gender role expectations, constitute personal and interpersonal barriers, and prevent them from integrating into PSE. Overall, the two marginal locations, living on the periphery and gender, play a crucial role in the experience of marginalized young women, and both of them deepen other barriers to PSE. To increase PSE participation among marginalized women, more efforts should be made to help them overcome their personal and interpersonal barriers. To decrease structural barriers, extended support must be provided from primary school to the end of their PSE studies.

Ridge Cultivation for the Adaption of Fodder Maize (Zea mays L.) to Suboptimal Conditions of Low Mountain Ranges in Organic Farming in Central Europe

Fodder maize cultivation under low mountain conditions in Central Europe presents obstacles for organic dairy farmers; low temperatures and high precipitation values in spring delay the juvenile development of maize, which leads to lower and fluctuating yields. Increasing the soil temperature during the critical growth phase of maize in spring is beneficial for maize cultivation. For this reason, 0.15 m high ridge-row cultivation (RCM) of maize was compared to a typical flat surface cultivation method (FCM) with 0.75 m row spacing in three environments (En) in 2017, 2018 and 2020 on-farm at low mountain sites in Germany. In the experiment, with randomised block design and one-factorial arrangement, soil temperature (ST) at 0.05 m soil depth at midday, field emergence (FE) 4, 8, 16 and 20 days after sowing (DAS), dry matter yields (DM) in every En and plant development and N, P, K content in En 2020 were investigated. RCM led to a significantly higher ST 4 DAS in every En, 12 and 20 days in 2018 and 8 and 16 DAS in 2020. RCM did not accelerate maize FE but positively impacted plant development and starch content. RCM generated a higher dry matter (DM) yield of whole maize plants and corn cobs, and a higher protein yield than FCM. RCM slightly increased the plant-available P and Mg content from 0 to 0.3 m and influenced significantly the mineral N content from 0 to 0.3 m at the beginning of grain development. RCM, a simple cultivation technique, demonstrated benefits for maize cultivation, particularly for climatically marginal locations in Germany.

‘Shed’, ‘shed makkalu’, and differentiated schooling: narratives from an Indian city

ABSTRACT ‘Shed makkalu’ (literally translated as ‘shed children’) is a phrase frequently used by NGO functionaries to identify children (from temporarily migrating families) living in ‘shed’ houses (made of either tarpaulin or tin sheets) situated in the squatter settlements of the Indian city of Bangalore. Temporary migrants in India belong to marginalised socio-economic strata of society and face multiple inequalities in both source and destination areas. This article focusses on the socio-spatial marginalisation of temporary migrant children in the city as an important identity dimension through which migrant children and their education were engaged with in the city. It explores the categories of ‘shed’ and ‘shed makkalu’ as vantage points to understand the socio-spatial marginalisation of migrant children in the city and how children themselves engage with their marginal locales in the city and its schools. This article draws on existing critiques around the theoretical canons of multiple childhood(s) and children’s agency to highlight that while migrant children actively engage with uncertain and erratic contexts of mobility and their marginal locations in the city, the structural conditions of development and education that shape their experiences of schooling should not be overlooked.

An evaluation of CMIP6 historical simulations of the cold season teleconnection between tropical Indo-Pacific sea surface temperatures and precipitation in Southwest Asia, the coastal Middle East, and Northern Pakistan and India

AbstractThe ability of six CMIP6 models to reproduce the observed cold season teleconnection between tropical Indo-Pacific sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and precipitation in Southwest Asia, the coastal Middle East (CME), and Northern Pakistan and India (NPI) is examined. The 1979-2014 period is analyzed, to maximize observations over both the tropical ocean and the regions. Nine historical simulations for the same period are examined for each model, to account for the internal variability of the coupled system. The teleconnection is examined in terms of SSTs, precipitation, 200 hPa geopotential heights, and derived quantities.All the models capture some of the broadest features of the teleconnections, but there is a wide range in the ability of the models to reproduce the magnitude and details. The differences appear related to both the models’ ability to capture the details of the tropical variability, including the position and strength of the precipitation anomalies in the Indo-west Pacific, as well as the models’ ability to accurately propagate the tropically-forced response into the region. The teleconnections to the CME and NPI regions on the eastern and western margins, respectively, of the strongest signal are very similar in structure and have similar results, except that the models’ ability to reproduce the strength and details of the teleconnection is even more limited, consistent with their marginal locations and known influence of other modes of variability. For all three areas, the wide range in model ability to capture the leading teleconnection suggests caution in interpreting climate regional projections.

Political / Power Structure and Vulnerability to Natural Disaster in North Western Pakistan

The current study tries to explore the link between the power structure and vulnerability to natural disasters like flash floods in Chitral, situated in the northwest of Pakistan. Flash floods are common in northern areas of Pakistan because of the steep nature of the terrain, melting of glaciers, and torrential rain in summer. In the Chitral district, its effects are adverse because of dwelling patterns and scarcity of safe locations for living. Ethnographic research tool, participant observation, in-depth interviews, informal talking, were used to understand the relationship between the power structure/ political structure in the district and vulnerability to flash floods and its aftermaths. Descriptive analysis technique has been used to analyze the ethnographic data. In princely state lower status people used to be compensated through land. In the locale of research, situated in upper Chitral, it has been observed that most of the low-status families are living in marginal locations making them vulnerable to flash floods. 2013 and 2015 flash floods data in the village of Reshun shows that majority of the affected families belong to low-status groups. Mainly it is the vulnerable location where these families are living. These families were not only affected more than upper-status people living in the village but the post-disaster situation was also worse for them in comparison to other parts of the village.

Effect of water on the rheology of the lithospheric mantle in young extensional basin systems as shown by xenoliths from the Carpathian-Pannonian region

Incorporation of hydrogen as structural hydroxyl (commonly referred to as water) in nominally anhydrous mantle minerals is known for the ‘hydrolytic weakening’ effect, which decreases the strength and electrical resistivity of the rock. Recent models have provided means of calculating rheological properties from geochemical data of upper mantle xenoliths. In the Carpathian-Pannonian region, upper mantle xenoliths can be found on the surface at five locations, both at marginal and central regions of the basin system. In this study we present a comprehensive overview of water contents in these xenoliths, including previously lacking data from two outcrops (Füzes-tó and Tihany) from the Bakony-Balaton Highland Volcanic Field for the first time. The Tihany xenoliths have significantly higher water contents (< 1–5, 116–353 and 327–1394 ppm in olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene, respectively) than the Füzes-tó xenoliths (0–2.7, 6.2–114 and 3.1–213 ppm in olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene, respectively). This can be explained with the older eruption age of their host basalt and greater depth of origin, as they likely represent an asthenospheric layer that became part of the lower lithosphere during thermal relaxation. In contrast, the Füzes-tó xenoliths represent a lot dryer mantle portion and are assumed to have been more affected by decompression-induced water loss resulting from decreased water activity during the extension. In general, the marginal xenolith locations of the Carpathian-Pannonian region, associated to prior supra-subduction environment, contain more water than xenoliths from central locations (with the exception of Tihany locality) which were significantly affected by extension-related lithospheric thinning. To reveal the differences in rheology inferred from the different water contents, we calculated effective viscosities and electrical resistivities for the xenoliths of the Bakony-Balaton Highland and other locationss in the Carpathian-Pannonian region using previously published data for input. Based on the results, the central locations have higher effective viscosities (1.4∙10 20 –2.2∙10 21 Pa s) and electrical resistivities (48–913 Ωm) compared to the marginal locations (9.3∙10 19 –6.8∙10 20 Pa s and 36–182 Ωm, respectively), suggesting that the lithospheric mantle is more rigid in the former than in the latter areas. This may be a common feature for extensional basins, as the extension leads to the ‘drying’ of the upper mantle, whereas subduction zones keep hydrating their overlying mantle wedge. However, for more accurate estimations, other factors such as regional differences in strain rate or the potential presence of melts or fluids in the mantle need to be considered as well. • Water lowers effective viscosity and electrical resistivity in mantle xenoliths • Water contents of xenoliths from different tectonic environments were compared • Central regions of the back-arc basin are drier compared to marginal areas • Rheological differences are present in distinct parts of extension-subduction systems • Decompression related water loss results in strengthening of the lithosphere

Central versus marginal tympanic membrane perforations: does it matter? An analysis of 792 patients

Background There is a lack of studies concerning chronic otitis media without cholesteatoma. Objectives To perform an analysis of tympanic membrane perforations (TMP), compare the parameters of central and marginal TMP, combining both the traditional and more recent technologies available. Material and methods 792 consecutive patients. The TMP subgroups were divided by central and marginal locations and compared based on signs suggestive of previous tympanic retraction, namely, medialized malleus, tympanic remnants over the promontory, tympanic remnants over the ossicular chain, and incus/stapes erosion. Analysis of the status of the contralateral ear (CLE). Results Central TMP was diagnosed in 79.8%. Compared with the central group, the marginal group had more reported hearing loss (95.6%), greater conductive hearing loss (pure tone average for air-conduction 43.3 dB and average air–bone gap of 28.7 dB), a larger perforated area (46.45%), more posteroinferior quadrant involvement, a greater number retraction signs prior to the TMP, and more changes in the CLE (71%). Conclusion The differences between TMP subgroups are highlighted when we use all technologies available to compare them. Marginal TMPs have more altered parameters than central TMPs. Significance There is a great possibility to enhance the knowledge of TMPs and to improve the pathogenesis-based treatment.

Patterns and drivers of recent agricultural land-use change in Southern Germany

Traditionally, agricultural land-use change (LUC) analyses focus on the conversion of natural land to agriculture especially in developing countries. Studies considering recent agricultural LUC (e.g., to built-up land) for the last two decades in more stable agricultural systems in Western Europe are mostly missing for the regional scale. Major LUC pathways, their drivers and potential counteracting factors such as subsidies or an increasing demand for regional agricultural products should be analyzed.Using the Metropolitan Region of Nuremberg in Germany, we quantified (i) major pathways of agricultural LUC with a transition matrix, and (ii) spatial patterns of agricultural LUC with optimized hot-spot analyses. (iii) We used boosted regression trees (BRT) to identify factors which foster agricultural LUC towards settlement and forest as well as semi-natural open land. Results for the last 15 years showed a considerable decline of agricultural land due to afforestation (3.1%) and due to settlement and infrastructure development (2.7%), which were the main LUC pathways. Both settlement development and afforestation concentrated at existing hotspots of urban development and in forest-dominated areas. Settlement-driven agricultural LUC was largely dependent on population density and development and independent from agricultural or biophysical parameters. Forest-driven LUC was mostly explained by agricultural parameters (i.e., low land rents and biophysical factors such as high slopes). Governance instruments such as regional planning and payments for maintaining agriculture on marginal land did not seem to maintain a balanced spatial distribution of agricultural land. If not improved, settlement development will considerably outcompete agriculture in prosperous sub-regions. Economic constraints will force farmers to abandon agriculture for forest on marginal locations at the cost of an intact cultural landscape.

Human ecology, paleogeography, and biodiversity on California’s small Islands

The island laboratory concept has long been an important construct in island archaeology, with an emphasis on human biogeography and issues of isolation, connectivity, interaction, evolution, and extinction. The Pacific Coast of Alta and Baja California contains several offshore islands that offer a framework for evaluating a variety of cultural and ecological issues. The California Islands include large islands (>100 km2) with abundant resources that were attractive to ancient people for 13,000 years and numerous small islands (5 km2 in area or less), many of which contain evidence of human occupation for centuries to millennia. Most of these small islands have seen limited archaeological research and often are presumed to have been marginal locations for past human settlement. Today, small islands from San Francisco Bay to Baja California provide key habitat for endemic species, breeding seabirds and marine mammals, and rare plants. Here, we review the archaeology of small islands on California’s outer coast, focusing on paleogeography, human settlement dynamics, and ecology and biodiversity. Synthesis of archaeological and environmental data demonstrate the utility of small islands as model systems for evaluating changes in island ecology.

Place-Sensitive Policies in the Provision of Subnational Public Goods in Colombia

ABSTRACTWhat causes stark differences in living standards between subnational units? What can countries do to lessen such variations? This article argues that there is an aspect of national policy frameworks that impacts subnational provision of social services: the sensitivity of policy to the particularities of place. Place-sensitive policies make adaptations to the way social services are organized and provided across a country, so that they are better equipped to deal with the different characteristics of places and better support their well-being. When policies are place-sensitive, subnational provision is facilitated in poor, rural, and marginal locations in a country. In contrast, place-blind policies employ a one-size-fits-all approach that excludes people in vulnerable areas and aggravates inequalities in social service provision and social outcomes. By studying the Colombian case, this article demonstrates that a key placeblind feature of its healthcare model disproportionately affects small localities.

Why RCTs failed to answer the biggest questions about microcredit impact

Abstract If there was ever an economic debate that randomized controlled trials could help resolve, it seemed to be the debate over the average economic and social impact of microcredit. When the first RCTs were published in 2015, they undermined beliefs in the potential to reduce mass poverty through microcredit, cutting through years of methodological debate. In retrospect, however, the studies reveal challenges in drawing inferences across RCTs. By design, the studies focus on marginal customers and marginal locations. As a result, the RCTs are most interesting and informative on their own terms and in their own idiosyncratic contexts. While it is tempting to interpret the results broadly, the studies were never designed to measure the average impact of microcredit. Ultimately, the RCTs shifted views on the possibilities for expanding microcredit and generated valuable insights, but they also showed that a diversity of methods—from RCTs that explore other margins to ethnography and financial diaries—is required to assess the sector’s overall contributions.

Benthic foraminifera indicate Glacial North Pacific Intermediate Water and reduced primary productivity over Bowers Ridge, Bering Sea, since the Mid-Brunhes Transition

Abstract. The Mid-Brunhes Transition (MBT) saw an increase in the amplitude of glacial cycles expressed in ice core and deep ocean records from about 400 ka, but its influence on high-latitude climates is not fully understood. The Arctic Ocean is thought to have warmed and exhibited reduced sea ice, but little is known of sea ice marginal locations such as the Bering Sea. The Bering Sea is the link between the Arctic and Pacific Ocean and is an area of high productivity and CO2 ventilation; it hosts a pronounced oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) and is thought to be the location of Glacial North Pacific Intermediate Water (GNPIW) formation in the Pleistocene. To understand palaeoceanographic change in the region, we analysed benthic foraminiferal faunas from Bowers Ridge (Site U1342, 800 m of water depth) over the past 600 kyr, as they are uniquely well preserved and sensitive to changes in deep and surface ocean conditions. We identified and imaged 71 taxa and provide a full taxonomy. Foraminiferal preservation is markedly higher during glacials, indicating the presence of less corrosive GNPIW. The most abundant species are Bulimina exilis, Takayanagia delicata, Alabaminella weddellensis, Gyroidina sp. 2, Cassidulina laevigata, Islandiella norcrossi, and Uvigerina bifurcata, consistent with broadly high net primary production throughout the last 600 kyr. Correspondence analysis shows that the most significant Assemblage 1 comprises B. exilis, T. delicata, Bolivina spissa, and Brizalina, which occur sporadically within intervals of laminated, biogenic-rich sediment, mostly during glacials and also some deglacials, and are interpreted as indicating very high productivity. Other assemblages contain the phytodetritivore species A. weddellensis, I. norcrossi, and C. laevigata, indicative of seasonal phytoplankton blooms. Before the MBT, more numerous intervals of the very high-productivity Assemblage 1 and A. weddellensis occur, which we suggest reflect a time of more sea-ice-related seasonal stratification and ice edge blooms. Our inference of a decrease in sea ice meltwater stratification influence in the central Bering Sea after the MBT is consistent with records showing that the Arctic and Pacific Ocean warmed during glacials and suggests that high-latitude productivity and sea ice changes were an important feature of this climate event.

Precessional Cyclicity of Seawater Pb Isotopes in the Late Miocene Mediterranean

AbstractAstronomical tuning in the Mediterranean region is primarily based on organically‐mediated proxies, such as cyclicity of organic rich layers or changes in foraminiferal assemblages. Both during and post deposition, organic proxies can be affected by complex processes not immediately related to the changes in precession (insolation) they are assumed to reflect. Here we present an isotopic proxy which exhibits precessional cyclicity yet is inorganic. Seawater lead (Pb) isotope records over four precessional cycles between 6.6 and 6.5 Ma, from bulk sediment leachates of three Messinian, circum‐Mediterranean marginal locations, show variations consistent with precessional cyclicity. During insolation minima, the Pb isotope signatures from all three sites converge to similar values, suggesting a regional process is affecting all three locations at that time. Data from the marginal sites are compared with new data from ODP Site 978 and published data from a variety of geological archives from the Mediterranean region to determine the mechanism(s) causing the observed variability. While the comparisons are not fully conclusive, the timing of events suggest that increased dust production from North Africa during insolation minima is the most likely control. This hypothesis implies that authigenic marine Pb isotope records have the potential to provide a reliable inorganic tie point for Mediterranean cyclostratigraphy where sub‐precessional resolution is required. An inorganic tie point could also provide the means to resolve long‐standing problems in Mediterranean stratigraphy on precessional and sub‐precessional timescales which have been obscured due to post‐depositional changes (e.g., sapropel burn‐down) or suboptimal ecological conditions (e.g., the Messinian Salinity Crisis).

Spatial controls on the distribution and dynamics of a marginal snowpack in the Australian Alps

AbstractSeasonal snowpacks in marginal snow environments are typically warm and nearly isothermal, exhibiting high inter‐ and intra‐annual variability. Measurements of snow depth and snow water equivalent were made across a small subalpine catchment in the Australian Alps over two snow seasons in order to investigate the extent and implications of snowpack spatial variability in this marginal setting. The distribution and dynamics of the snowpack were found to be influenced by upwind terrain, vegetation, solar radiation, and slope. The role of upwind vegetation was quantified using a novel parameter based on gridded vegetation height. The elevation range of the catchment was relatively modest (185 m), and elevation impacted distribution but not dynamics. Two characteristic features of marginal snowpack behaviour are presented. Firstly, the evolution of the snowpack is described in terms of a relatively unstable accumulation state and a highly stable ablation state, as revealed by temporal variations in the mean and standard deviation of snow water equivalent. Secondly, the validity of partitioning the snow season into distinct accumulation and ablation phases is shown to be compromised in such a setting. Snow at the most marginal locations may undergo complete melt several times during a season and, even where snow cover is more persistent, ablation processes begin to have an effect on the distribution of the snowpack early in the season. Our results are consistent with previous research showing that individual point measurements are unable to fully represent the variability in the snowpack across a catchment, and we show that recognising and addressing this variability are particularly important for studies in marginal snow environments.

Assessing adoption potential in a risky environment: The case of perennial pigeonpea

Perennial crops offer the opportunity to harvest from the same plant many times over several years while reducing labor and seed costs, reducing emissions and increasing biomass input into the soil. We use system dynamics modeling to combine data from field experiments, crop modeling and choice experiments to explore the potential for adoption and diffusion of a sustainable agriculture technology in a risky environment with high variability in annual rainfall: the perennial management of pigeonpea in maize-based systems of Malawi. Production estimates from a crop model for the annual intercrop system and data from field experiments on ratooning for the perennial system provided the information to create a stochastic production model. Data from choice experiments posed by a farmer survey conducted in three Malawi districts provide the information for parameters on farmers’ preferences for the attributes of the perennial system. The perennial pigeonpea technology appeared clearly superior in scenarios where average values for maize yield and pigeonpea biomass production were held constant. Adoption was fastest in scenarios where relatively dry growing seasons showcased the benefits of the perennial system, suggesting that perennial management may be appropriate in marginal locations. The potential for adoption was reduced greatly when stochasticity in yields and seasons combine with significant social pressure to conform. The mechanism for this is that low yields suppress adoption and increase disadoption due to the dynamics of trust in the technology. This finding is not unique to perennial pigeonpea, but suggests that a critical factor in explaining low adoption rates of any new agricultural technology is the stochasticity in a technology’s performance. Understanding how that stochasticity interacts with the social dynamics of learning skills and communicating trust is a critical feature for the successful deployment of sustainable agricultural technologies, and a novel finding of our study.

The neoliberal location of asylum

What can be learned about the European migration crisis by studying it at its margins? Framed by this question and premised on evidence collected during four months of field research in a central Italian province, the paper investigates the governance transformations engendered by the migration crisis through a study of the Extraordinary Reception Centres (CAS) set up by the Italian government to host asylum seekers across its territory. The paper builds upon Dikec’s (2009) conceptualisation of the “where” of asylum to map their legal and geographical location within the EU border regime, and engages with current debates on EU borders a) to highlight the centrality of marginal locations such as Macerata to the functioning of the EU border regime, arguing that CAS are central to such regime as they confirm its humanitarian pretences b) to intervene on debates concerned with the spatiality of EU borders, arguing that greater analytical attention should be given to their territorial configurations c) to evidence the neoliberal character of the governance transformations engendered by the crisis, beyond their migration management function. Border management is an engine of state transformation, and the paper highlights the all-pervasiveness of neoliberalism in this process and the weakening of democratic accountability that accompanies it. It suggests, on these bases, that what can be learned about the European migration crisis by studying it at its margins, is that the governance transformations it has engendered invest migrants and non-migrants alike, offering two reflections in this respect.

Changes in global cropland area and cereal production: An inter-country comparison

Although cereal production is a linear function of cropland area in principle, the relationship between area change and production change is nonlinear at a larger geographical scale due to the spatially heterogeneous use of land. Based on globally gridded land cover maps between 2000 and 2010, this study presents a country-level comparison to understand how cropland area change contributes to cereal production variation across the world’s major cereal producers. First, a map of potential cereal productivity is applied to represent the spatially varied biophysical capacity, and the cropland area change in primary and marginal locations are calculated separately for individual countries by adopting the country’s average cereal productivity as a reference. Then the area-change-induced potential cereal production change is estimated and correlated with the actual production change at the country level. The results show that most countries increased cropland area in primary locations. A few countries decreased cropland area, and the area losses are mainly occurred in primary locations as well. Moreover, China and USA achieved a marked increase in actual production with an expected decrease in potential production. In contrast, Brazil, Argentina and Nigeria have a higher increase in potential production against a relatively lower increase in actual production. Combining these, a cluster analysis indicates that some countries better exploited cropland productivity (as represented by China), and some countries better allocated cropland area (as represented by Brazil). Although the former group has reduced hunger more significantly, sustainable cereal production requires balanced development in terms of both productivity-improvement and area-optimization, which simultaneously ensure production and minimize environmental effects. Consequently, the current comparative analysis provides a preliminary guideline for developing national-level strategies by comparing the performance of one country to that of others.